iPhone users have been using emoji for a while now, but for some Android phones these handy icons remain absent. In this feature we’ll show you how get to your Android device up to speed and back in the conversation. How to use emoji on Android.

How to get emoji on Android: Changing your keyboard

If the default keyboard on your phone doesn’t have emoji options then you are free to change it to another. Visit the Google Play Store and search for keyboards. The Google Keyboard is free, as is another favourite SwiftKey which offers additional themes and keyboards as in-app purchases.

When you’ve found one you like, install it on your handset and then open up Settings>Language and Input>Current Keyboard and then select the new one as the default. The next time you open a text field you should see the new keyboard appear.

How to get emoji on Android: Using the Google Keyboard

If you use the Google Keyboard on your phone then it won’t be immediately apparent how you access the emoji. To do so simply hold down the Search icon in the bottom right corner and a smiley face icon will appear. Slide up to this and the emoji menu will now be available.

How to get emoji on Android: Using the SwiftKey keyboard

In much the same way as the Google Keyboard works, SwiftKey places the emoji option in the bottom right corner, seen as a little smiley face above the Search icon. Long pressing Search (the magnifying glass icon) opens up the emoji menu where you can select from the various symbols available. Be sure to experiment with scrolling through the submenus at the bottom that offer different emoji themes, then tap the abc key to return to the regular QWERTY setting.

How to get emoji on Android: Using the Samsung keyboard

On a modern Samsung device you can access the emoji options by long pressing on the microphone button that appears to the left of the space bar. On some phones the microphone is replaced by a smiley face that gives you direct access to the emoji instead.

How to get emoji on Android: If your phone doesn’t support emoji

While all of the above solutions make emoji available across all your device’s messaging apps, if your phone doesn’t appear to support them, and can’t use the latest keyboards, you can still get in on the action. WhatsApp has emoji built into the app itself, allowing you to communicate using the symbols with other friends on the service.